The Spurs are riding a nine-game win streak and look to extend it to double-digits against a play-in Warriors team.
SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs are one win away from notching their second double-digit win streak of the season.
San Antonio won 11 in a row when they went undefeated in February. If they beat Golden State on Wednesday, they’ll again win a 10th win in a row as the regular season starts drawing to a close.
Most of these San Antonio wins haven’t been close, either. They’ve won by double-digits in all but three games during their current win streak, four of them being by 20-plus points.
The driving force behind the win streak has been the driving force the entire season: Victor Wembanyama.
The French sensation scored a season-high 41 points against the Bulls on Monday night while also recording one of the fastest double-doubles in NBA history.
Wemby is lobbying for the MVP award this season, so chances are that while other players are cruising in April, Wemby will be playing his best basketball in his pursuit of becoming the youngest MVP in league history.
Wemby is currently averaging 24.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks a game this season—more than MVP-worthy numbers. That, along with the Spurs solidifying at least the No. 2 seed in the tough Western Conference, should garner some votes.
The Spurs’ next game is against a Warriors team playing without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. At 36-39, the Warriors have locked in a play-in spot and are currently the 10th seed. Depending on how the rest of the season and Play-In Tournament goes, this could be a first-round playoff preview.
And while the Spurs have been pretty dominant this season, the Warriors are one of four teams to beat them twice this season (Wolves, Suns and Cavs).
However, in those two November wins, the Warriors had both Curry and Butler. Curry scored 46 and 49 points in those two games, hitting five and nine 3-pointers in each respective game. Butler wasn’t too shabby, either, putting up stats of 28-6-8 and 21-8-1 in the two wins.
The last meeting on Feb. 11 without those two resulted in a 126-113 win for the Spurs. De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points and Wemby had 26 in a game where San Antonio pulled away in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors have been without Butler since Jan. 19 and without Curry since Jan. 30. Since Curry went down, the Warriors have gone 9-17. In the same time frame, the Spurs have gone 25-3, the best mark in the NBA.
In March, the Spurs went 14-2, tied for the second-best record in the NBA.
The players who are slated to play for the Warriors include Draymond Green (8.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.4 APG) and Brandin Podziemski (13.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.8 APG).
How to watch
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at 9 p.m. CST as well as available to watch on FanDuel Southwest. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350.
Team stats leaders
- POINTS: Victor Wembanyama (24.5), De’Aaron Fox (18.6), Stephon Castle (16.7)
- REBOUNDS: Wembanyama (11.4), Luke Kornet (6.2), Julian Champagnie (5.8)
- ASSISTS: Castle (7.2), Fox (6.2), Dylan Harper (3.8)
- BLOCKS: Wembanyama (3.1), Kornet (1.0), Champagnie (0.4)
- POINTS: Stephen Curry* (27.2), Jimmy Butler* (20.0), Brandin Podziemski (13.3)
- REBOUNDS: Butler* (5.6), Draymond Green (5.5), Podziemski (5.3)
- ASSISTS: Green (5.4), Butler* (4.9), Curry* (4.8)
- BLOCKS: Al Horford* (1.2), Green (0.6), Moses Moody* (0.6)
Injury report
As of Tuesday night, here’s where the team’s respective injury reports stack up:
- Luke Korney – Out (knee)
- Stephen Curry – Out (knee)
- Al Horford – Out (calf)
- Moses Moody – Out (knee)
- Kristaps Porzingis (illness)
- Quinten Post – Out (foot)
- Will Richard – Questionable (heel)
Five more things to know
- The Warriors hit the second-most 3-pointers in the NBA at 15.9. However, most of those threes were made by the injured Stephen Curry.
- Golden State averages the fourth-most assists a game at 29 a game.
- The Warriors average the second-most steals a game at 9.9. The Spurs are good at taking care of the ball, however, only averaging 12.7 turnovers a game, fourth best in the league.
- In turn, the Warriors turn the ball over the fourth most of any team at 15.1.
- Interestingly, the Warriors are the only team with a 0.0-point differential on the season. To put it in perspective, the Spurs have a +8.2 point differential, second best in the league.